


Mass Effect: In Love With An Angel (Shepard/James)

by kyrrann



Category: Mass Effect
Genre: F/M, Fanvids
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-26
Updated: 2016-05-26
Packaged: 2018-07-10 07:02:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 6,245
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6972067
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kyrrann/pseuds/kyrrann
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In the aftermath of the reaper war, James must learn to deal with the loss of Commander Shepard.  As he starts to heal, he finds out that sometimes, things are not as final as they seem.</p><p>FanVid + Story</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

 

  


[Mass Effect 3: Angel (James & Shepard)](https://vimeo.com/167773168) from [Nicole Cook](https://vimeo.com/user3374444) on [Vimeo](https://vimeo.com).

 

James heard the door to the commander’s cabin open, but didn’t look up.   He just didn’t have the energy.  He sat there on Shepard’s bed with her picture in his hands.  She was gone and there was no changing that.  He looked intently at the photo and noted the way her green eyes lit up the picture.  He remembered the smell of her soft, red hair when she laid her head on his chest.  A single tear rolled down his cheek and landed on the picture.  

“Lola,” he said softly.

Slowly he became aware that Liara had entered the room, sat down next to him on the bed and gently laid a hand on his shoulder.  She didn’t say a word.  She just wanted him to know that she was there, even if he felt utterly and completely alone at the loss of Shepard.  His Shepard.  Lola.

Finally he turned to look at her and found a little comfort in those deep blue eyes staring back at him.  After all, Liara had known Shepard longer than him.  She had traveled with her, fought side by side with her, and had her back in more battles than he count count.  She understood, at least a little bit, of what he was going through.  She had lost her best friend, her surrogate big sister.  James had lost the woman he loved.

“I knew that it was a possibility that we wouldn’t be walking away from that fight,” he said meekly.  “Heck, it was the likely outcome.  I just figured if it happened, we would both go down together.”

She looked at him and listened.  It felt good to talk about it and now that he had started, he couldn’t stop himself.

“It was so touch and go there for a while, you know?”  A lopsided smile appeared at the edge of his mouth as he remembered.  “I was dodging those damn brutes while she flung those husk things around like they were rag dolls,” he recalled.  “And Buggy, well he was doing whatever the hell it is that he does.  We survived it all, Doc.  We survived all the way to the end!”

“James,” Liara started.

“I was there, right up until that final run,” his voice becoming audibly irritated.  “I should have stayed with her.  I could have helped her.  I could have saved her!”  

“James,” Liara replied. “You did everything you could.  You were injured.  You had to…”

“Didn’t you hear me?” he interrupted angrily.  “This was like Fehl Prime all over again.  Worse than Fehl Prime.  She ran off to face that thing alone and I stayed holed up on the Normandy like a coward.  If I had been there, she might have lived.  Or at the very least I would have died with her!”  

He stood up and walked over to the fish tank, tightening his hands into fists.  Finally he took a deep breath and tried to let the calmness of the fish in the tank roll over him.

“I could have saved you, Lola,” he whispered.  “I could have saved you.”

Liara stood up and went to stand next to James in front of the tank.  She knew there was nothing she could say that would spare him the pain.  She was feeling it herself, although not in quite the same way as James did.  He had not only lost a friend & lover, but he was now faced with the “what ifs” and “what could have beens”.  It was something that only time could hope to lessen the sting.

“James,” Liara tried again.  “Shepard wouldn’t want to see you like this.  You haven’t left her cabin in two days.  Please, at least let me get you something to eat.”

“No thank you, Doc,” his voice barely a whisper.  “I’m not hungry.”

“I understand,” she replied.  Realizing there was nothing else to be done at the moment, she walked up the stairs and out the door again, leaving James to his solitude.


	2. Chapter 2

Sometime the next day, James finally emerged from the cabin, his eyes still puffy and his facial hair now more of a beard than stubble.   He looked a mess but it was not something he cared much about at that moment.  

He took the elevator and exited onto the crew deck.  Steve Cortez and Garrus Vakarian were sitting at the mess hall table and looked up as James entered the room.

“James,” Steve said as he stood up from the chair.  “Come sit down with us, I just made some food.  Please, join us.”

Even though he didn’t feel much like eating or socializing, he knew the pit in his stomach was from more than just missing Shepard.  The food didn’t taste like much in his mouth, but he found that once he started eating, his body craved more.

After a few minutes, Steve turned to James and said, “I know you probably don’t feel much like talking.  I didn’t when I lost Robert.  But just know that I am here for you whenever you need, okay?”

James didn’t feel like talking, but he managed a soft, “Thanks, Esteban.”

Cortez and Garrus continued their previous conversation, something about the best way to calibrate guns and James lost himself in memories of Shepard.  He remembered how he had looked up to Shepard all those years earlier, back when she was just the hero of the Citadel.  At the time he wanted nothing more than to be the kind of soldier that she had been.  He pushed himself beyond all limits, emulating what he saw in the vids, and later what he saw in person.  That dream felt empty now, but he was determined to carry on her legacy.

Feeling a little strengthened by the food, he looked over at Steve and asked, “How are the repairs coming?”

“Almost complete,” Steve replied.

“If I could only get the damn gun calibrated, we’d be in business,” said Garrus, trying to interject a little humor into moment.

“Heh,” replied James.  “And how are the repairs to EDI coming?”

“I am not yet inhabiting my body, but I am here,” piped up EDI.  “The precautions I took prior to the crucible firing saved me from being permanently incapacitated.  I will be back in my body and bothering Jeff on the bridge in approximately 2.3 days.  Joker is very much excited about that prospect.”

“I bet he is,” replied James.  Looking back at the table, James realized he had eaten all the food that was in front of him.

“James,” said Steve.  “I could use some help with repairs in the shuttle bay in you are interested.”

“Sure thing, Esteban,” he replied without thinking.  He wasn’t in the mood for repairs, but figured it would be a good way to keep his mind off of things, if only for a while.  “I’m going to go take a shower.  I’ll meet you there in about half an hour.”


	3. Chapter 3

Over the next few weeks, James threw himself into repair work.  It helped to keep himself focused on something other than the deep pit he felt in his gut whenever he thought of Shepard.  The Normandy was already on route to the Sol system, but they had a ways to go because the mass relays were still offline.   And since communication was also offline, they had no idea what to expect when they did get there.  

Each night he retired to Shepard’s quarters where he fell into restless sleep and dreams of her.  Most nights he woke up in a pool of sweat, dreaming of their last night together, before they took down the Cerberus base and headed to Earth.  He could still feel her skin on his.  And the memories of her scent were so overwhelming he could swear she was in the room with him.

Tonight, as he sat up in the bed, he put his head in his hands and sighed.  He knew there was no going back to sleep tonight.  He never could.  Suddenly EDI broke the silence.

“James,” she stated.  “Communications are back online.  Please come to the war room.  There is some news you will want to hear.”

“On my way,” he replied.  Pulling on his clothes, he began to wonder what the news was about.  Hopefully it was some good news.  He wasn’t sure he could stomach more bad news.

When he arrived in the war room, he found Steve, Garrus, Liara, Kaidan and Tali talking animatedly on the far side of the room.

“Hey guys,” he said.  “What’s up?”

They all stopped and looked up at him.

“What?  Was it something I said?” said James, looking confused.

EDI, now back in her body, and Joker entered the room followed by Doctor Chakwas.

“We have finally restored communication with Alliance military,” EDI started.  “We have reports that Shepard is alive.  Barely, but alive.”

James couldn’t breathe.  He could barely think.  He stood there for what seemed an eternity while he processed the news.

“Alive?  How could she have survived that explosion?” James managed to choke out the words.

“No one is sure,” said Dr. Chakwas.  “She certainly has a sturdy constitution, so try not to worry too much.  Before you know it, she will be up and at it again.  Cheating death is a speciality of hers, after all.”

“Yeah, she’s kind of like a cat.  Nines lives and all.  I figure she’ll outlive you by a long shot, Vega.” said Joker.

“Survivors of the battle found her in the wreckage.  They patched her up best they could and got her transferred to an Alliance vessel as soon as they were able.  Thankfully they had a very experienced doctor among them.” explained Chakwas, “Unfortunately, I don’t have anything more specific on her condition.”

“How fast?” James asked, turning to Joker.

“What?” asked Joker.

“How fast can we get there?”  James asked again, his heart was in his throat.  “I need to see her.”

“It will take approximately 1 week, 5 days at our current speeds to get there,” replied EDI.  “Provided nothing else in the ship malfunctions.”

“Almost 2 weeks?” James asked incredulously.  “Is there anything we can do to shave any time off of that?”

Tali spoke up from the other side of the room, “Now that communications are back online, we should be able to call the Alliance vessel she is on and see if they can make a detour in our direction. That should significantly lessen the time.  I have also been working with Engineer Adams and we may be able to push the Normandy outside of her normal limits.”

“Yes,” replied doctor Chakwas, “that would be a good idea.  I really should be there to oversee her care.  No one knows more about treating Shepard that I do.”

“Gracias,” said James.  “Joker, get us there as quickly as you can, por favor,”

“Aye, aye,” Joker replied and left the room.  

“I will also do whatever I can to make sure we get there at optimal speeds,” stated EDI matter of factly, following Joker out of the door.

James felt a huge weight lifting off of him.  He couldn’t believe it.  She was alive.  Shepard was alive.

Steve came over and gave him a hug.

“We’ll get you there as quickly as possible,” he said, “even if I have to fly you there myself in a Trident.”

“Gracias Esteban,” James replied.  “I’d even take a ride in your flying deathtrap just to get there sooner.  Now, what else needs doing around here?  Let’s fix it and get the hell out of here.”


	4. Chapter 4

The next few days were a blur.  James did whatever repair work he could in hopes that the ship would reach the Alliance vessel faster.  Finally the day arrived.

“James,” Joker reported over the comm, “The Alliance ship Shepard is on is within range.  They will be ready to dock within the hour.”

“Thanks Joker,” James responded, his heart racing.  “Let me know as soon as it docks.”

Thirty minutes later James & Doctor Chakwas were being led onto an Alliance ship.  He followed their escorts through numerous hallways until they finally reached the door to the medical bay of the ship.  

“Thank you,” he said to the escort. “Doctor, is there any update on her condition?”

“Last update I had was she was still unconscious, but stable,” Chakwas replied.  She broke both arms, a leg, several ribs, has numerous burns and a punctured lung.  Given the circumstances, it could be much worse.   Go on in and see her.  I want to consult with the doctors on call first.”

James took a deep breath.  She was beyond that door, still breathing.  And that was good enough for him.

He stepped into the room and saw her broken and bruised body lying there on the bed.  It nearly broke him to see her like this.  To see such a strong, vibrant, beautiful woman looking so small in that moment.  But he was just glad to see her at all.  One of the doctors was there attending.

“Hey Doc,” James called out.  “Is she going to be okay?  Can she hear me?  Does she know I’m here?”

“She has several major injuries and is still unconscious,” he replied.  “Go ahead and talk to her.  I can’t promise she will respond, but it doesn’t hurt to try.”

The doctor left the room and James was there alone with Shepard.  Lola.  His Lola.  He sat down next to the bed and put his hand gently on top of hers.  He could feel the warmth of her hand radiating onto his and looked up at her face.  Even with the two black eyes and the new scars on her cheek, she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.

“Hey Lola,” he said.  “I’m here.  I’m not sure if you can hear me in there, but I wanted you to know that I am here and I have never felt more relieved in my life than I do right at this moment.  I’m not going anywhere, so you’d just better hurry up and get better.”

Not expecting her to respond to his voice, he continued anyway.  “I thought you were dead.  For weeks I thought you were dead and it damn near killed me.”  He grabbed her hand just a little tighter and reached up with his other one to push her hair out of her eyes.

“I couldn’t stand that I was on the Normandy while you went out and died.  I know it was what you wanted, but I felt so guilty.   I was in the medical bay when you blew that thing up and stopped the Reapers for good.  We ended up on some backwater jungle planet not too far from the Sol system, but too far to hear any real news about what happened in the aftermath until we could get long range communications back online.”

“We’ve done most of the repairs to the Normandy,” he continued, “so don’t you worry.  She’ll be completely ready by the time you are ready to take command of her back.  I promise.”  Unsure of what else to say, he sat back in silence and just watched her lying there, trying to will her to get better.

He sat by her bedside for the next few days, talking and even reading to her.  There were not many books available, so he had to make do with a bunch of trashy romance novels that Tali had scrounged up for him.  He wasn’t sure where Tali had found them, but he didn’t care.  His main concern was that Shepard knew he was there.  That he wanted her to come back to him.

He was starting to fall asleep in the chair next to her bed, as he did every night, when he finally heard her stir.  It was mostly murmurs, but it was definitely something.

“Lola!” James cried rushing over to her bed.  “It’s me, James.”

Slowly she opened her eyes.  “James,” she whispered.  “Where…what…I mean….am I dead?”

“No, Lola,” he laughed.  “Would you expect to find me in heaven?”

“Then I must be in hell,” she joked back, her voice still weak.  “Where am I?”

“They found you after the battle.  Some survivors found you and took care of you until they could transfer you to an Alliance ship.  Doctor Chakwas is here. And Tali and Joker and Garrus.  And well, everybody.”

“And you,” she said, smiling up at him.

“Yes, especially me,” he responded with a laugh, barely able to contain his happiness.

“Stay here with me James,” she whispered before falling back to sleep.

“Always, Lola,” he replied.


	5. Chapter 5

Once she was awake, Shepard began to make amazing strides in her recovery.  It wasn’t long until they were able to move her from the hospital bed to a small room on the ship.  

“Hey Lola, did I ever tell you I had a crush on you before we ever met?” James asked.

“Why James, I thought you didn’t fall for your commanding officers,” she teased.

“Well, Captain Toni was quite the looker, but he just didn’t have curves in all the right places, if you know what I mean.  Besides, you weren’t my commanding officer back then. You were just my hero.”

“Sad state of affairs if I’m the one who was your hero,” she said.  “I mean, I did go and get myself killed, resurrected and then, oh yeah almost killed again.”

“Eh, could happen to anybody,” he replied.  “In any case, I am always willing to make an exception in the case of such a beautiful woman.”

“Yeah, sure,” she said.  “I look like hell and you know it.”

“There you are wrong, Lola,” he responded.  “You look like an angel.  Always have.  An angel with a few rough edges & scars, maybe  But still an angel and sexy as hell.”

“Liar!” she accused playfully.

“Prove it,” he retorted.

“It’s a much bigger bed now Vega,” she said, “Why don’t you come join me?”

James smiled, laid down next to her and put his arm around her waist.  “I thought you’d never ask.”

It was the most wonderful feeling in the world to actually hold her in his arms again.   He had to be extra careful, as she was still nursing some injuries, but all was right with the world.  Soon they were both fast asleep.

The next morning James awoke to find Shepard staring at him.  

“Hey Lola,” he said, “You just going to lie there and stare at me?”

“Well, I could think of better things to do,” she replied with a mischievous smile.

“Heh, I could think of a lot better things to do,” he shot back.

“Then what are you waiting for, Vega?” she cooed.

“Wait.  What?  Now?” he asked, a little concerned.  “Are you crazy?  How can we with all your injuries?”

“You’ll just have to get creative then, won’t you James?” she smiled.

He leaned over to kiss her.  The first real kiss they shared since before Earth.  It felt so good to feel her lips against his.  As he continued to kiss her, his arm wrapped around her waist and his hands slowly made their way up to her breasts.  She let out a little moan.

“Are you sure?” he whispered in her ear, not wanting to push her.  “I am more than willing to wait until you heal.”

“All I’ve done lately is wait.  I’m done with waiting,” she replied.  “I just want to feel something good, something real.  All I’ve thought about since I woke up has been you and how much I wanted to be in your arms again.  So get started soldier!”

Next thing he knew she was kissing him again and he pulled her as close to his body as he could without aggravating her injuries.  The next few minutes were filled with a passion that only two lovers separated by time and distance could feel.  

She started to tug at his shirt.  He reached down and pulled it up over his head as she rubbed her hand against his chest and down towards the top of his pants.    The feel of her hand against his skin was electric.  He couldn’t help but to be excited at the prospect of what was to come.

James gently pulled her shirt off and unhooked her bra.  His hands caressing her breasts, his fingers lightly pinching her nipples.  She groaned and unbuttoned his pants, tugging them down.  As she did so, he lifted his hips off of the bed and pulled them all the way off.  Shepard reached out for him and now it was his turn to moan.  Her soft touch stirring him into frenzied ecstasy.  

When he thought he couldn’t handle anymore, he gently moved her hand and helped her out of her pants.  Reaching between her legs, he could tell she was just as excited for him as he was for her.  

He rolled her on her side and pulled her right leg up and back over his thigh.  Before he could stop himself he was inside her, moving ever so slowly back and forth.  He started to move with more intensity and he could hear her make soft, cooing noises, urging him on.  

“James,” she whispered.

With more confidence now, he moved a little faster.  Faster and  faster until he felt her shudder next to his body.  He pulled her as close as he dared until he, too, had climaxed.

When it was over, they both snuggled back on the bed, happy and content.  Neither one wanting to let go for fear of losing the other again.  

“I love you, Lola,” he said staring into her eyes.

“I love you too, James,” she responded.


	6. Chapter 6

The next few weeks went quickly.  Shepard was finally up and walking around, albeit slower than normal.  When he wasn’t spending time with Shepard, James busied himself with the Normandy, making sure everything was just so.  

Soon, they would given new assignments.  They just didn’t know where or even if they would be allowed to stay together.  After all, the Alliance had pretty strict rules about fraternization.  They would have to wait for the Alliance brass, at least what was left of it, to figure it out.  

Finally the day arrived.  Admiral Hackett himself came aboard and discuss the situation.  Shepard was called in to see Hackett while the rest of the crew waited nervously in a meeting room aboard the ship.  As James walked in the room, all eyes seemed to be on him.

“So, what’s going to happen now, Vega?” asked Garrus casually.  

“Well, obviously I’m going to be made an admiral and you all have to do what I say,” Vega quipped.

“Then it's a good thing that I’m not Alliance military.  Will you be riding your baby harvester into battle then?” Garrus responded.

“Oh, you know you want me too, Scars,” James smiled.  “I read your diary.”

“Oh, come on your two,” Tali interjected.  “Get a room already!”

“Well now, I wouldn’t chance that,” Garrus said, putting his arm around her, “I know how jealous you can get.  Next thing I know I’ll have emergency induction ports sticking out of parts of my body they have no business sticking out of.”

“That’s right Garrus,” Tali joked, “you’re all mine!  Now, where is that dextro chocolate you promised me?”  

“My body, my chocolates,” Garrus replied, “what’s next?”

They all laughed, but it was a nervous laugh.  After what seemed like an eternity, Hackett & Shepard entered the room.

“As you all know,” Hackett began, “we defeated the reapers just a few short months ago.  But there is more work to be done.  With everyone in the galaxy currently separated by long distances, pirates and mercenaries are certain to take advantage and threaten the stability of what is left of the fragile alliances we still have in place.”

Shepard looked at James and smiled from across the room.

“Due to her exemplary service during wartime, not to mention her ability to keep staring death in the eyes and defeat it, we have promoted Shepard to the rank of Captain, serving aboard the Normandy.”

He paused for a minute before carrying on. “However, the galaxy needs heroes more than ever, heroes that fight for all species and not just the human race.  With that in mind, she will be taking a temporary leave of absence from the Alliance to focus solely on her Spectre duties.”

Hackett continued, “Since the council races are still scrambling to form a coherent and stable government, for the time being, Shepard will report through me and I will coordinate any Spectre assignments with what is left of the council leadership.  Once a new government is in place, her Spectre duties will once again be under the purview of the council.  At that time, she will make a decision about resuming her duties as an official Alliance Captain.”   

 _“I hope you know what you’re doing, Lola,”_ James thought to himself.  He watched her as she stepped forward and began to speak.

“I am grateful to each and every one of you in this room” said Shepard.  “You have stood by me through everything: Fighting, shooting things, running, jumping, and in the case of Garrus, calibrating.”

Small laughter echoed in the room.

“I would like to extend the offer to all of you to remain with me.   I don’t expect you to make this decision right now.  We don’t ship out for another week.  It has been an honor serving with all of you.  And while I hesitate to say goodbye to anyone, I more than understand if you need to go your own way.  The door will always be open for you to rejoin the Normandy as long as I am in charge of it.” she finished.  

When she was done, she turned to say something privately to Hackett and then came over to stand next to James.

“So what do you think, Vega?” she asked.  “You with me on this one?”

“Yes ma’am,” he said, “although I’m not sure about you taking a leave of absence.  You know last time you did that you got soft.  Started demanding things like three square meals a day, comfortable beds.”

“I’m not leaving for good, James,” she replied. “Besides, I didn’t hear you complaining the last time you were in that comfortable bed.” She looked square into his eyes and continued, “The truth is that as much as I love being in the Alliance, right now I can get so much more done solely as a Spectre.  There will be many hard calls to make and last time I had to make a tough call, the Alliance threw me in the brig.”

“Which turned out rather well for you, if I remember, Captain Shepard.“  James grinned.  “It’s not every day you meet such a strapping young specimen as James Vega.”  

Shepard rolled her eyes at him.  

“Seriously though, you are still reporting through Hackett,” James replied.  “That kind of still means Alliance military.”

“True, but he isn’t necessarily the one in charge,” she assured him.  “They are trusting me to use my best judgement.  That’s what being a Spectre is all about anyway.”

“Like there have never been any Spectres that went off the rails,” he reminded her.

“Well then, I guess they would just have to make you a Spectre and send you after me,” she teased.

“Oh, you can count on it,” he teased back.

James’ face became serious.  “But what about me, Lola?  Where am I going to end up?  Are they really going to let me go with you?”

“Hackett would like to have a word with you about that,” she replied, suddenly looking more somber, before cryptically adding,  “Just remember, don’t let a good opportunity go to waste, Vega.  Not for anything or anyone.”

James looked up to see Hackett walking over towards them and swallowed hard.

“I’ll leave you both alone to talk,” she said as she walked across the room to where Garrus, Tali and Kaidan were standing.

“Lieutenant Commander,” he said.  “Have you thought about whether you will accept your N7 commendation?  This is a big honor and I can’t think of anyone more qualified.  We need N7 recruits more than ever.  You have proved that you think fast on your feet, but you also know how to make the tough calls.”

James quickly glanced over at Shepard, his mind in a panic, but she was already deep in conversation.  Of course he wanted to accept the N7 commendation, but he just got Shepard back and wasn’t in a hurry to leave her again.

James was torn between the two things he loved most in his life, being the best soldier he could be and Shepard.  He paused and took a deep breath.  Sadly, he knew that Shepard would kick his ass if he turned down this opportunity, despite what the two of them had between them.  He looked up at Admiral Hackett.

“Yes,” James said, feeling his spirit die a little inside at the thought of separating from Shepard again so soon.  “Of course I want in the N7 program.  Just tell me when and where to go, sir.”

“I’m glad to hear it Lieutenant.  As you know, the N7 training facilities are in a bit of a shambles at the moment,” Hackett explained  “Everything will be rebuilt, of course, but in the meantime I am assigning you to the Normandy and to Shepard.  We would still like to maintain an official Alliance presence on the Normandy and I can’t think of a better teacher for the N7 program than Shepard.”

“Yes, sir!” James replied.

“Of course as soon as things have been put right, I will expect you to report for duty as an N7 recruit.”

“I wouldn’t miss it, sir,” James replied.

“Oh, and Lieutenant,” Hackett started, “there is one more thing I need to take care of.”

Hackett reached into his jacket pocket and handed James a new insignia.  “Congratulations Staff Commander Vega, you deserve it.”

James smiled, “Thank you, sir.  I will do right by this.”

“I expect nothing less,” replied Hackett.  And with that he left the room with his Alliance guards in tow.


	7. Chapter 7

In the end, not everyone stayed.   Sad as she was to leave Garrus behind, Tali had to return to the flotilla and eventually make her way back to Rannoch.  As an admiral, she had to return to her people as they slowly rebuilt their home.  Garrus had a tough time coming to his decision to stay with Shepard, but in the end he had his duty and she had hers.  

Kaidan, likewise, felt it was best for him to go his separate way.  As the only other human Spectre he felt they should travel individually to ensure the most good was being done throughout the galaxy.  He was going to find some of his old squad from Biotics Division and see if he could convince them to join his crew.  With Kaidan not continuing on, this meant that James would serve as the XO of the Normandy as well as the official liaison back to the Alliance.

Finally Traynor, as much as she loved serving on the Normandy, felt she could be more help to Admiral Hackett & the Alliance.  Now that the QEC was working again, she could stay in real time communication with Shepard should she need anything.

Everyone else planned to stay, at least for a little while: Liara, Joker, EDI, Doctor Chakwas, Steve.  Javik, especially, was excited at the prospect of staying aboard and helping Shepard “put down those unruly primitives.”

The night before the Normandy was to leave, everyone met up in the Lounge for one last party.  James found himself at the poker table with Kaidan, Joker and Garrus.

“Joker,” Kaidan advised, “remember what I taught you.  Don’t give away your entire hand.  You’re grinning ear to ear over there.”

“Oh right!” Joker responded, putting on a frown.  “How’s this face instead?”

“Oh come on,” Garrus chimed in, “Even I can do better than that and I had half my face blown off by by a mercenary gunship.”

“Well, you do have those mandibles,” Joker replied, “you can’t tell if you’re smiling or not behind those things.  I’m mostly sitting here worried you might bite my face off if you lose.”

“Yes, I have been known to do that,” Garrus responded coolly.

“Are you guys in or not?” Kaidan asked impatiently.  “I’m not getting any younger, you know.”

“All right, all right, old man” said Joker.  “What about you James, you in?”

“Nah, I fold,” he answered.  “Besides, I am going to go find Shepard.  Duty calls!”

“Is that what the kids are calling it these days?” quipped Joker as James strode away from the table.  “Oh, and no roleplaying this time!  The last party you guys did that and boy was it creepy.”

“Very creepy,” agreed Garrus.

“I couldn’t stand to even watch,” Kaidan said.

“All right, all right,” James called back over his shoulder.  “But I know the real reason is you’re all just jealous since you can’t have me.  I understand.”

James walked past where EDI, Traynor and Cortez were chatting on the couch and headed towards the bar area where Shepard was deep in conversation with Javik, Liara and Tali.  He put his arm around Shepard as he approached and bent down to kiss her on the cheek.

“How are things?” she asked.  “Did you win us piles of credits yet?”

“Us, Lola?” he laughed.  “Any and all money I may have won is sole property of James Vega.”

“Oh really?  I’ll remember you said that, soldier,” she teased.  Turning to Liara.  “He probably just lost his shirt to Joker anyway.”

“Now that I would like to see,” said Tali playfully, starting to feel the effects of the alcohol. “Whoo!”

“Careful there Sparks,” James said, “Scars over there might get jealous.”

“Ah, whatever,” she answered and then turned in the direction of the poker table with a loud voice.  “A little jealousy is good for him every now and then.  He’s always so damn calm.  How does he stay so calm?”

“It’s this stick up my ass,” Garrus called back without looking up from his cards.  “It short circuits my jealousy meter.”

“And Lola,” James began, “Joker put us under strict orders not to roleplay at this party after what happened last time.  I know how much you like that stuff.”

“Hey now!  It wasn’t that bad,” she retorted.

“Yes,” said Tali, “yes it was.”

“It was pretty awful,” agreed Liara.

“I’m not even human and it made my skin crawl,” piped in Javik.

“Fine!” Shepard responded with mock  indignation.  “No roleplay tonight.”

She pulled James into a hug and whispered in his ear, “At least not until we get back to the bedroom.”

“Are you trying to make me blush again, Lola,” he asked.

“I don’t know,” she responded, “is it working?”

“You’ll just have to wait and see, won’t you?” he replied.

“Hey you two,” Tali hiccupped, “get a r…*hiccup*, ro….*hiccup*, um, square boxy space with a door!”

“Tali,” said Liara leading her over to the couch, “I think maybe you’ve had enough.  Let’s sit down over here for a while.”

“Speaking of square boxy spaces with doors,” James said, “how on earth did you get Hackett to let us stay on the ship together?  I was sure he was going to assign me elsewhere.  He does know we’re a thing now, doesn’t he?”

“I think it was a bit of willful ignorance on his part,” she replied, “but I wasn’t gonna push the issue.”

“Good idea, Lola,” James responded.

“Alright,” Shepard called out.  “Before everyone starts getting too drunk, I’d like a picture to remember this by.”

“Good idea,” said Steve, “now you can have before and after photos, although we are missing a few people who were in the last one.”

“Don’t worry,” said Joker, “I’ve got a cardboard cut out of Wrex I can stick in the picture.”

“I’m not sure I even want to know the story behind that one,” said Traynor.

“You might be interested to know that Jeff currently has…” EDI started.

“EDI,” interrupted Joker, “remember what we talked about?  You don’t need to share everything.”

“Yes, of course Jeff,” she replied.  “I will make sure that any talk of your cardboard cutout collection is treated the same way as the topic of your extranet browsing history.”

“Uh, thanks EDI,” Joker responded, looking over at Shepard.  “Let’s just get this picture taken before she says anything else.”

Finally, they were all arranged on the couches and Liara asked Glyph to take the picture.

“Thanks, everyone,” said Shepard. “It’s certainly been an interesting ride.  I salute you all.  Now, where are the rest of those drinks hiding?”

The party continued for a few more hours, but eventually the crowd started thinning out.  They were shipping out in the morning for destinations unknown.  James was a little sad knowing that everyone wasn’t coming with them, but he knew that such things couldn’t last.  Even he would eventually be called away for his official N7 training, but as he and Shepard walked hand and hand back to her bedroom, James knew that in that moment, there was no place he would rather be.  


End file.
